I have known the Mommy in the Russell family since we were in middle school. Katie and I attended Oliver Springs Middle together and then attended high school together. She was always such a sweet girl and her smile could light up any room she walked in. Well, I'm happy to say she hasn't changed a bit - she's still a sweetheart and her smile still lights up the place. Except for now she smiles a little bit bigger since marrying her Prince Charming and then recently adding Mommy to her resume.
Addilyn Grace is on the Baby's First Year plan with Memories & Blessings Photography. I love this plan because it allows me to watch little ones grow up - right before our eyes! Addi is simply adorable and had changed so much since I last saw her in December. Addi had some awesome little facial expressions that kept us laughing throughout the session. She even giggled out loud for one of the first times! I had so much fun hanging out with the Russells and am looking forward to Addi's 6 month session in June! Here are a few of my favorites from Addi's three month session with her family.
She was not happy with me, lol.
Once she found her hands she wanted to play with them the rest of the session! Too cute!
I had the great privilege of doing maternity photos for Karen Nation and her family. This sweet family has been through so much heartache and grief that I was excited to get to be a part of this special time in their life. All children are a blessing and a miracle from God - but Miss Kyra Cheyenne will be just a little more special! After tragically losing two children in the second trimester of her pregnancy - Karen is now nearing the end of her pregnancy with their precious little miracle. This baby girl has been covered in prayers and I am so happy that God has watched over her and kept her safe thus far.
This family was a blast to photograph! They were fun to just hang out with for an hour. They already have three great children who were just as excited about baby Kyra as Mom and Dad were - especially big sis Caitlyn. She'll no longer be the only girl (other than Mom of course) and now the family will be equal ... 3 boys and 3 girls! Little Brandon was the most excited though! He couldn't stop talking to his Mommy's belly or giving the baby hugs. He's going to be an awesome big brother!
Kyra Cheyenne? Do those names sound familiar? They should if you're a Reba fan. Kyra's name came from the two daughters' names on the show. I can't wait to meet this little lady and hopefully will have the chance to photograph her and her family. Thank-you Michael and Karen for allowing me the blessing of being a part of this special time! Here are a few of my favorites from the Nation family's maternity session.
This evening I had the opportunity to get to spend some one on one time with my little brother. It was at the location I would've wanted to hang out at but nonetheless, it had been a few days since I had seen him and I was glad to just be with him! Today marks day 11 that Cody has been at Children's Hospital. He came in for seizures and throughout the last week and a half he has had pneumonia, a busted eardrum, emergency surgery, pancreatis and now gallstones. He is scheduled to have his gallbladder removed later this week. They are hoping that was the initial cause of all his problems and once it is removed he'll be good to go! They even mentioned going home at the beginning of next week! God is good! Please help me pray that his surgery goes as planned and he recovers quickly and easily.
Since it was just me and the little brother this evening I brought a long my camera and we had a little photo shoot to surprise our Momma. She loves pictures and she loves pictures of her little man even more! As you can see from the following the photos - he was all smiles and enjoyed every minute of it. He even did a little modeling and followed his sister's directions ... for the most part.
He smiled ...
He was serious ...
And then this was his "sick pose", because he is in the hospital after all ...
Then he went back to being silly ...
We also discussed Peyton's decision. If you know Cody, you know that he is a big Colts fan and an even bigger Peyton fan. Ever since Cody was itty bitty he has answered questions with "yes" by opening his mouth and "no" by keeping his mouth closed. Here is how he felt about Peyton and the Broncos.
Please remember to pray for my baby brother this week and as he continues to get better! Here are a few more of my favorites from Codeman's session at Children's Hospital.
Last weekend I had the great opportunity to photograph a sweet little red-head with bright blue eyes and an infectious smile. He was simply adorable! Colton didn't want to have all the fun alone so he brought along his Mommy and Daddy. We met up at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge and even though the sun was bright and shaded areas were few and far between we were able to get some great shots. The little guy didn't want to smile very often but when he did he lit the place up!
Colton was all boy! He loved playing in the grass, picking up rocks and throwing sticks! His favorite activity though was going up and down the steps! We went up and down the steps about 100 times :) He was so much fun to photograph.
Here are a few of my favorite photos from Colton's session with his Mommy and Daddy.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Ever feel like you just can't get ahead? Like you are swimming really hard to get to the top of the water and just can't get there? I'm having one of these types of days today. I feel physically and emotionally tired. I feel like I can't get anything together. This attitude then quickly turned into a pity party this afternoon. Someone once said, the only people who come to a pity party are you and the Devil. That is so true! I began to tell myself how horrible the past few weeks have been. My brother has been in the hospital for 10 days, I feel like I can't keep my house clean, My husband has been working so many long hours we have seen him a lot, I have gotten way behind in my editing and I just want to sleep - a lot! I quickly realized that the Devil was putting all these thoughts into my head. I was allowing the Devil to use this time to distract me and make me tired. The reality of it all is - my brother is in the hospital but will get to come home one day, unlike many other children in that hospital, my house may not be spotless but at least I have a rough over my head and food on my table, my husband may be working a lot but at least he has a great job and he is able to minister to people during the hardest time in their lives and I may be behind in editing but I am so thankful I have sessions to edit! And well the sleep ... it will come when my kids get older - a lot older :) So, yes I may be tired but I am one blessed girl.
After, I was through with my pity party this afternoon God immediately placed these verses on my heart. I love verse 28 - "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding." I may be tired but how so thankful that my God (the same God that is the Creator of the Earth) is never tired. The Bible then goes on to tell us that God will give us strength. HE will help us. So glad for the Word of God and the little things God shows us when we need them the most.
I'm going to share a song with you - no I'm not going to sing, lol. I listen to it all the time. Whenever I feel down or think I'm not going to be able to handle the things life throws my way. It simply states, "I know I'll be okay, because He knows my name!". So thankful this evening! I truly am blessed. (The video was found on YouTube, I did not make the video).
Next time your tired and just feeling down - remember, God loves you! God will give you strength if you lean on him! Have a wonderful and blessed week!
Happy Friday evening! I just recently made the jump to Animoto. It is a great program that allows me to make better slideshows for you. I can post the videos straight to Facebook, your email, my blog or YouTube for no charge. However, the company charges a small fee to get the video quality needed to be able to burn to a DVD. I chose to go ahead with the program because I think it helps me make your slideshows much better! So, if you would like a DVD of your slideshow I will have to start charging a small fee of $5 per copy. I hope you think the fee is worth the quality of the slideshow, I certainly do. This fee will be added to your session fee on the day of your session if you choose to purchase one. Enjoy the new and improved slideshows! I'm having a blast making them. Have a wonderful weekend!
I first met Miss Kailyn Nicole just six short months ago at Parkwest Medical Center. I was blessed to do her newborn photos just a day after she was born. I remember thinking how alert she was! She had these big blue eyes that watched every move I made. The Tapps are the first family to take advantage of the Memories & Blessing's "Baby's First Year" plan. I get to see these precious little girl every three months and each time I am completely amazed at how much she's grown. Watching babies grow up through my lens is one of my favorite parts of my job. Sometimes, you don't realize how much your own children change because you are with them every day. So, when I get to see other's kids after a long time I can definitely tell how much they've grown up. Take a look at how much Kailyn has changed in the past six months!
I was so excited that Carrie was willing to stop off on Pellissippi Parkway and get some shots of Kailyn in the daffodils. She was simply adorable in her overalls and bare feet. We got some great shots despite the fact that Kailyn was more interested in the passing cars and of course the taste of the daffodils :)
After we quit playing on the side of the street, we headed down to the UT Arboretum. Spring is evident at this location! The colors were beautiful and will only get prettier as the season comes into full swing. Happy half-birthday Kailyn Nicole! I look forward to seeing you in three months - by then, I'll have to chase you down to take your photos! Take a look at a few of my favorites from the Tapp's session.
